ohw? shoes are bringing out six rather dashing new ranges for autumn/winter 2016 featuring premium materials – waxy suede, hairy suede, full grain, embossed leathers and neoprene textured rubber – as well as a suitably autumnal palette of Oxblood, Umber, Olive, Burgundy, Taupe, Date Palm and Sand. You can bet your conker collection that Ernest had to have an ogle. Here are the two ranges that particularly grabbed our interest…
DODGE (W0531), a six-eyelet shoe in dark olive waxy suede and neoprene, £75
Glide into autumn
Glide is a new retro trainer range available in three styles – Deacon, Dodge and Hawking. Each style features a rubber cupsole unit and stitched toe guard together with the tireless attention to detail we’ve come to expect in ohw? – hand-stitching, waxed cotton laces, padded collars and tongue loops.
We’re particularly drawn to the Dodge and Hawking styles. Dodge is a six-eyelet shoe in waxy suede and neoprene. Hawking is a eye-catching high top style eight-eyelet boot in full grain leather and nubuck. We love the forest feel of the darkest olive green, but both also come in a stargazing-suited black. Deacon also caught our attention with its rich burgundy full grain leather and date palm suede, which made us hanker for a stride amongst autumn leaves.
DEACON (W0537), is a five-eyelet unlined shoe in burgundy full grain leather and date palm suede, £80
HAWKING (W0539) is an eight-eyelet boot in dark olive full grain leather and nubuck, £90
Waterproof booties
Two styles of Waterproof Goodyear Welted boots – a high-cut plain front boot (Ambler) and a low-cut moccasin front boots (Holden) made in hydrophobic full grain leather with treated suede and wool – were launched in response to demand but also demonstrate the shoemaker’s skill and attention to time-honoured detail.
We were particularly interested to see that the Waterproof range uses a manufacturing method traditionally the preserve of formal shoemakers. A ‘Goodyear welt’ is a time-consuming process, invented hundreds of years ago, that is still considered one of the finest methods of shoe construction. It is an intricate method whereby a strip of leather – the ‘welt’ – is stitched to both the insole and the upper and then attached to the outer sole with a heavy-duty lock stitch seam. The machinery needed for the process was invented by Charles Goodyear Jr in 1869.
The two designs are both made in a ‘bootie’ construction, with a waterproof membrane between the lining and the upper material. The membrane also has insulating properties, which will no doubt be welcome during this season’s more invigorating outings.
HOLDEN (W0463) is a five-eyelet Goodyear Welted moccasin front boot in black full grain leather and black suede, £150.
AMBLER (W0460) is a seven-eyelet Goodyear Welted plain front boot in black full grain leather black suede and dark grey wool, £160.